Gotta admit that whenever I'm in W I tend to gravitate towards the bike section just so's I can mutter almost under me breath abouthow bad their bikes are whenever someone is browsing. Is this bad?

Some anti-BSO community service work. Chances are that if they're looking at W, they think $500 is too much to pay for a bike anyway. Likely they think a car is transport and a status symbol, where a bike is just a toy. I'd better stop now before I start ranting (more)...

Gotta admit that whenever I'm in W I tend to gravitate towards the bike section just so's I can mutter almost under me breath abouthow bad their bikes are whenever someone is browsing. Is this bad?

Some anti-BSO community service work. Chances are that if they're looking at W, they think $500 is too much to pay for a bike anyway. Likely they think a car is transport and a status symbol, where a bike is just a toy. I'd better stop now before I start ranting (more)...

Nobody wrote: Chances are that if they're looking at W, they think $500 is too much to pay for a bike anyway.

Funny you should say that, i looked at the reviews on the big w website and found this, laughed myself silly .

"I just bought one today. Tools for assembly are not there. Manual and DVD are not specific for the bike. This is very bad service for such expensive bike."

And just to go off topic, the first bike i bought for myself was a $120 Repco 'dual suspension', chain snapped after 12k, gears never indexed properly, brakes and suspension were dreadful, bearings made of cheese, the whole thing was cactus within 6 months. BUT it did get me into cycling so i will always remember it fondly.

The other thing that got me terribly excited yesterday in big w was the Repco singlespeed flatbar road bike, it looks pathetic on the website but in the flesh i was struggling to stop myself from buying one on the spot. $98 for something that could probably provide a high school/ uni student with transport for at least a year is remarkable IMO. Even had half decent looking brakes .

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

ldrcycles wrote:The other thing that got me terribly excited yesterday in big w was the Repco singlespeed flatbar road bike, it looks pathetic on the website but in the flesh i was struggling to stop myself from buying one on the spot. $98 for something that could probably provide a high school/ uni student with transport for at least a year is remarkable IMO. Even had half decent looking brakes .

I'll admit I saw one of those recently and thought that it didn't look as woeful as I would have imagined. I think you should buy one, ride it for a year and then write a review

Yep pretty much any square taper triple crank should do, and they can be had for next to nothing (or actually nothing if you go through a skip with a shifter and a crank extractor ). If the pedal isn't threaded in properly you can strip the threads on any cranks, regardless of quality, it happens. Bung on a new crank arm and you're good to go again.

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

Had a wander through the local Big W this evening and 29ers are now even cheaper, there's now a steel framed Repco complete with 1" threaded 'suspension' forks and the same crummy plastic derailleurs as the Diamondback, for $148. I've picked up heavier bikes, but not much heavier.

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.